Thunder’s Top Summerslam Matches Part 2

by Joe Thunder - July 25, 2012

Welcome to part two! I hope you’re all getting excited for the upcoming event! The card for the show is slowly taking shape, and I’m looking forward to finding out how the World Title scene specifically is going to play out this year. Dolph Ziggler has been primed to jump in and become champion, but Sheamus’ reign as champ has been solid and has realistically been threatened by no one. I like the possibilities of the upcoming changes! Now it’s time for another blast from the past!

40. 1999 – Test vs Shane McMahon “love her or leave her” match: Test became engaged to Stephanie McMahon, and Shane stepped up to defend her honor. These two destroyed one another in this match, and this is quite possibly one of the most underrated matches in the history of Summerslam. Test was able to come out on top in the match and gain Shane’s approval to be with Stephanie, but we all know what happened later in the year with the on-screen wedding involving Triple H. The rest is history, but we were given a great Summerslam match before the story really heated up.

39. 1997 – Steel Cage Match Mankind vs Triple H: Foley and Helmsley had been rivals throughout 1997, and had battled in July at Canadian Stampede as well as in the finals of the King of the Ring tournament in June. Despite Chyna’s best efforts to stop Foley from winning this match, the character of Mankind was able to come out on top in the 1997 show’s opening contest. Mankind underwent a transformation after the match and got up dancing as Dude Love.

38. 2005 – Shawn Michaels vs Hulk Hogan: HBK and Hogan teamed together a couple times during the spring and summer of 2005, and Michaels nailed Hogan with sweet chin music after a match where they teamed together on Raw. Michaels challenged Hogan to a match at Summerslam because he wanted to know who the better man was. Michaels oversold Hogan’s moves during the match, but the brawl is still considered one of the most anticipated in the history of Summerslam. When all was said and done, Hogan came out on top and shook hands with HBK after the match. Shawn’s only words were the ones that he uttered when he issued the challenge: I had to know.

37. 2009 – Dolph Ziggler vs Rey Mysterio for the IC Championship: Mysterio went into this match defending the IC Title against Ziggler, and he came out on top. This is a match that I’ve never seen come up in any discussion when talking about top Summerslam matches, and it’s a shame because it’s an excellent and exciting match. The potential that Ziggler had in 2009 has really come through and he deserves more credit than he gets.

36. 1998 – Stone Cold vs Undertaker for the WWE Championship: I remember the buildup to this match being centered around the Highway to Hell theme with the song by AC/DC. I also remember watching the music video made for this match probably 30 times on WWE’s weekend programs of Superstars and Livewire. The match had a ton of buildup, and the big question was whether or not Kane was in cahoots with the Undertaker and whether or not he would help Taker win the gold. Ultimately, Kane stayed away from the match under the direction of the dead man and Austin would retain his title.

35. 1988 – Ultimate Warrior vs Honky Tonk Man for the IC Championship: In my humble opinion, the Honky Tonk Man never should’ve held the IC Title longer than Randy Savage. HTM had been the champ for over four hundred days, and fans were sick of his reign. Brutus Beefcake was the originally scheduled opponent for HTM, but he was injured. The Warrior came down as his replacement and defeated HTM in a squash to become the new champion. Warrior would remain in the IC Title scene until he won the WWE Title at WrestleMania VI in 1990.

34. 2001 – Stone Cold vs Kurt Angle for the WWE Championship: This was essentially Stone Cold’s last big run in the WWE Title scene. Austin had won the title at Mania from the Rock and would rival throughout the Summer with Kurt Angle during the Invasion storyline. This match ended by DQ but was a bright spot in the rivalry between Austin and Angle. Angle would win the title at Unforgiven, but drop it back to Austin just a few weeks later on Raw. Austin would go on to lose the title during the unification tournament at Vengeance in December and fall out of the WWE Title scene thereafter. This was also Austin’s last match at a Summerslam event.

33. 1998 – Ladder Match Triple H vs The Rock for the IC Championship: The hype for this match was overshadowed at the time by Austin/Taker, but the match itself stood out far more than the WWE Title main event. Rock and Trips were on their way to the top of the company, and this match showed where both stood in popularity with the fans. Ultimately DX was able to top the Nation when Chyna scored a low blow on the great one; her interference allowed Triple H to capture the IC Title.

32. 2004 – Kurt Angle vs Eddie Guerrero: These were two of the best pure wrestlers WWE had in 2004, and this was a rematch from their WrestleMania match earlier in the year. Despite this match not being for the title, this match for me was second best on the card and stood out as a quality wrestling contest. Angle was able to win the match by submission with Luther Reigns in his corner.

31. 1999 – Stone Cold vs Mankind vs Triple H for the WWE Championship: I remember four things about this match, and it’s all about each person involved. I remember Jesse Ventura as the guest referee tossing Shane McMahon over the top rope after he received a stunner for his involvement. I remember hating Triple H as a heel and wanting him to lose this match. I remember wanting Austin to keep the title more than anything else. Lastly, I remember the shock I felt watching Mick Foley hit the double arm DDT on Austin and get the three count to become the new WWE Champion. This was a classic triple threat match in Summerslam’s vast history.